Increasing Supply of Housing Land in Short to Medium Term

73.         The Government will take a number of strong measures to increase housing land supply in the short to medium-term -

1. I announced in August 2012 that 36 sites, including Government, Institution or Community (GIC) sites and other Government sites, with an area measuring 27 hectares in total, would be used for housing development to provide about 11 900 residential flats. Of these sites, 10 have been zoned or are going through town planning procedures for rezoning for housing development. Rezoning for the remaining 26 sites is expected for completion by 2016. This requires the support of the community in the relevant districts. We have made some progress and will continue to consult the District Councils. To identify more suitable land for conversion to residential use, the Planning Department (PlanD) will continue to review sites currently zoned for GIC uses and other Government sites;
   
2. There are 13 sites in Green Belt areas, measuring 57 hectares in total, which are devegetated, deserted or formed and considered suitable for rezoning for residential use. Town planning process will commence in phases. For seven of the sites, the rezoning process will be completed by 2017 to provide some 13 500 units. The remaining six sites will be rezoned subsequently within a few years to provide some 9 500 units. I will ask the PlanD to expedite the rezoning process. Meanwhile, the PlanD is engaged in the next stage of Green Belt review, with the purpose of releasing more sites for housing development;
   

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